Cael invited Harper to dinner again that night so they could discuss the progress they had made so far. He had requested that his mother be there, but she said she had important meetings to attend to. She was picking apart all the boards of directors and meeting with them as soon as possible. She had to lay down the groundwork so that when they needed their help, they would need to start from the top.
“So where are we with the plan?” Cael asked as they sat down to dinner. They had just ordered their meals and were waiting for them to be brought out. Harper kept on munching on the breadsticks that were at the table.
“We are nowhere at all. Ophelia just barged in out of nowhere and took him for the entire day. I barely even had a moment with him all day. All I could say was say my name like a professional, and that was the end,” Harper complained before thrusting the entire thing in her hand into her mouth with a gruff expression on her face.
“Did Ophelai come as if she knew what was going on? How did she know? Does she already have a mole working for her?” Cael asked those questions because those were the kinds of things he planned to do soon. He could not fully trust Harper. If Cade promised her better, she would move on to him immediately. She was not a steady plan for him at all.
“I don’t think she knew; it seems like she actually does like him because she came in for lunch,” Harper said with the food in her mouth.
“Are you sure about that? It is quite unlikely that she had developed feelings for him. Remember that they are good actors,” Cael said, and she nodded.
“I know a look of love when I see one. I have carried one with me for years now, so I should know best. It is the same one you gave Frances,” Harper said.
As soon as Cael heard those words, it was like someone ripped off a bandage from his arm and exposed a huge scar, and it hurt him like mad. He did not like Frances; all of this was just a business transaction for them all and nothing more. “Frances and I?” he asked, letting out a sound that made it sound like a lie.
“Yes, you both. You are clearly in love with her, and she is already warming up to you,” Harper said. She leaned in with a wink and whispered. “Trust me, I have a hunch or things like this.”
“Well, your hunch or gut feeling is very wrong this time, and if it’s wrong about Frances and me, then it’s probably wrong about Cade and Ophelia.”
“I do not think I am wrong!”
“The relationship between Frances and I is simply transactional. We both know the reasons why we are getting married and we are not trying to hide that fact one bit.” Cael’s tone was defensive and Harper knew that this was one of the steps that led to the realization of how much you loved someone, so she pressed her lips together and nodded briskly.
“If you say but I was not talking about you and Frances, I was saying that Ophelia definitely likes Cade.”
“And Cade? What about him? Does he like her too?”
“I am the only one Cade likes.” Harper was saying that because she wanted to delude herself into thinking that the sparkle she saw in Cade’s eyes earlier when he glanced at Ophelia so much was not love but just ordinary looks. There was no way he had gotten over her when she held him so dearly. He was definitely still over her; she just had to make him realize it.
“If you say so,” Cael said, calling out her bluff. He knew that if he tried to discuss the situation, it would end up with her trying to convince him that Cade was still into her when he was crying over her. He was not going to spend the time trying to talk about his brother’s love lie when he had weightier matters at hand.
“So she came to the office because she missed him. Do you think you stand a chance against Ophelia? “I mean, it is her; she is the…” he trailed off because of the expression on Harper’s face. She was not pleased that he was about to praise Ophelia well in her presence.
“She holds no candle to me; I am confident in my abilities, and I know very well that I can beat her.”
“Okay, so I agree with you, but we need to work faster. My mom is already doing some groundwork regarding this: What do you think we should do?”
“I just need some time alone with Cade, and probably we give Green some time alone with Ophelia; that way we can both do what we want, and the outcome would be wonderful.”
“Some time alone?” Cael asked, leaning into his chair as he saw the waiter approach them with a trolley cart that contained their three-course meal. “That is easy,” he said with a wink.
“If I get some time alone, the rest would play out like magic in a children’s book,” she said.
Cael was not sure if he could trust her confidence as much as she was portraying it. Maybe he needed to make his own backup plan in case anything went haywire.
“Okay, that can work. There is a business trip I have to go on next week. I can send Cade instead, and as his assistant, you would have to be with him.”
“That is nice; how long is it?”
“It is about ten days and that should be enough time.”
“More than enough,” she said, looking down at the plate the waiter had silently dropped and left. The actor was still sitting by his side there. Maybe they were to change the plate by themselves once they were done with the appetizers, which were sweet potato bites. She took a bite out of it and made a pleasing sound with her eyes closed.
“What do we do about Green?”
“I will speak to him. I am sure he would have something planned for that ten-day open window,” Harper said before taking the rest of the food into her mouth.
“That is wonderful,” he said, taking his glass up and shaking the liquid in it, gesturing that they clink their glasses together.
“To you not screwing this up.”